Sizing and dressing means



Patented Feb. 11, 1947 srznvo AND DRESSING MEANS Jacques Bergier, Alfred Eskenazi, and Andre Helbronner, Lyon, France; vested in the Alien Property Custodian No Drawing. Application February 26, 1943, Se-

rial No. 477,313. 1941 2 Claims. 1

It is known to dress and size artificial silk in form of hanks or cakes by treating with a sizing or dressing agent which is dissolved in a volatile solvent. This method is known as dry sizing and requires the recovery of the solvent, which implies the use of costly plants. Many attempts have been made to apply the dressing or sizing agent in an aqueous medium but none of them had a remarkable success. The affinity of the artificial silk toward water is much greater than its affinity toward the colloidal sizin and d essing agents so that the fibre absorbs the water easier than the latter. Moreover the coarse particles of the colloidal solution do not penetrate the fibres sufliciently and are not able to produce on the fibres the continuous film which is necessary to produce a good sizing and dressing.

The present invention now provides a sizing and dressing means which guarantees a satisfactory sizing and dressing of the fibres from aqueous media because it contains the sizing and dressing substances in form of true solutions similar to the solutions of electrolytes.

The sizing and dressing means according to the present invention is composed of a principal solvent which is preferably water and an auxiliary solvent which is miscible with water, a sizing and dressing substance which is soluble in both types of solvents, an agent promoting emulsifying and rendering soluble which is also soluble in both types of solvents, the principal purpose of said emulsifying agent being to disperse a plastifying agent and a plastifying agent which is at least soluble in the auxiliary solvent but which may also be soluble in water. If desired the sizing and dressing means may further contain softening and lubricating agents.

As auxiliary solvents there may be used all water miscible organic solvents as alcohol of the aliphatic series e. g. methanol, ethanol etc., ketones of the aliphatic series e. g. acetone, substituted ketones etc., glycols e. g. glycol, monoethylene glycol, diethylene glycol etc., acetals, lactic acid esters e. g. ethyl lactate etc.

As a sizing and dressing substance neutralized, natural or artificial resins e. g. neutral sodium salt of the abietic acid (sodium resinate) may be used.

As an agent for emulsifying and solubilizing organic or inorganic basic substances as triethanolamine, potassium hydroxide etc. may be used. In this case the basic substance acts also as a In Switzerland August 18,

protecting substance for the sodium salt of the abietic acid, which is a very weak acid, so that no precipitation is caused by the carbondioxide in the atmosphere.

As a softening and lubricating means one may use with advantage a sulphoricinate (sulphonated castor oil) such as sodium sulphoricinoleate.

Experience has shown that it is possible to use very small quantities of the volatile organic solvent acting as an auxiliary solvent. This quantity may be up to 20% of the water or less to obtain a good solubility of the mixture.

A sizing and dressing bath according to the presentinvention may have the following composition:

Per cent Neutralized colophony 9 Mineral oil 1 Triethanolamine 2 Sodium sulphoricinate 2 Ethanol 13 Water '7 3 In this manner all constituents of the sizing and dressing agent i. e. the substance for coating the fibres of the artificial silk, the plastifying agent for the latter, the softening and lubricating agent which facilitates the passing of the fibres through the combs, the emulsifying agent which facilitates the desizing, antiseptic substances. removable dyestuffs and so on can easily be brought in solution.

The sizing and dressing with the novel product can be effected in the known manner by soaking the artificial silk in the solution, hanging it in the atmosphere and drying. The product may be used to size and dress hanks or cakes of artificial silk. When charging with at most 10% the dressings and sizings are in every respect satisfactory.

The same product may also be used for the dressing and sizing of fabrics or bobbins, whereby dressings are obtained, which are much more resistant than the usual dressings based on starch or gelatine, and moreover permit the production of all efiects which hitherto could only be obtained by the dry sizing method.

The artificial silk dressed and sized with the dressing and sizing agent according to the invention can be stored as long as desired as the dressing and sizing is not oxidizable.

acid and approximately 2% of each of trieth-'-' anolamine, sodium sulphoricinoleate and 1% of mineral oil.

JACQUES BERGIER ALFRED ESKENAZI.

ANDRE HELBRONNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,229,975 Kaplan Jan. 28, 1941 2,160,450 Gladding May 30, 1939 2,100,408 Platt Nov. 30, 1937 2,150,569 Whitehead Mar. 14, 1939 1,870,868 Platt Aug. 9, 1932 1,807,755 Ryley June 2, 1931 

